A Happily Ever After, After All
by MegWithAMouth
Summary: After Shepard's sacrifice with the Catalyst, could there possibly be hope for a happy ending between her and Liara? Together they find out if true love conquers all. Oneshot.


_A/N: So, just a short note to make things clear... *Mass Effect 3 ending spoilers* This takes place after Shepard chooses the DESTROY ending which ends with a scene of Shepard taking a breath. Since it's the only ending with the possibility of a 'happily ever after' I'm subscribing to the whole, "Shepard was indoctrinated and everything after she was shot by the Reaper laser is a battle of wills all taking place in Shepard's mind." So, basically, the endings didn't happen and this starts out with Liara looking for Shepard in the rubble after the Reaper shot them._

_That said, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!_

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><p>A sharp, barely audible gasp for breath was the loudest sound Liara had ever heard in her life. Amidst the explosions and gunfire, amidst the yelling and roar of engines, amidst the beat of her own drumming heart, she heard it... and it was beautiful.<p>

"Shepard," she whispered in awe while frantically turning her attention to the pile of rubble the sound had emanated from.

Not allowing herself a moment for hope to take hold, she forced herself into action and immediately began moving rock and debris.

"Shepard!" she said again, though this time with much greater urgency and volume.

A faint intake of air beneath the rubble was her only reply, but it was more than she'd let herself hope for until that very moment.

Her hands moved even swifter, but to little effect as every piece she removed only seemed to cause more to fall in the same place. Frustrated, she stepped back as a luminescent blue glow overwhelmed her entire body. With fierce determination written all over her face, she focused her energy and then released it with immaculate precision, biotically pulling away only the top layer of debris and sending it flying through the air. The glow around her dissipated and she hurriedly moved toward the rubble once more.

As she quickly scanned the area, it seemed as if her effort had been for naught, but the sound of someone coughing drew her attention to the far right. A shuttle flew overhead at that very moment and its lights briefly illuminated a tarnished N7 logo.

"Shepard!" she called once more, though this time it was more of a reassurance than a plea.

Liara swiftly, but with great care, moved aside the remaining rubble that hid her broken soldier from her. Within moments, Shepard's face became visible. Her features were blackened with blood and bruises, yet when her eyes met Liara's, her lips curved in as much of a smile as she could muster and Liara knew right then that everything would be okay.

"Liara," Shepard whispered hoarsely. It was apparent that doing even that much pained her greatly and Liara quickly hushed her.

"I'm here, Shepard," she whispered.

She moved to free the Commander of the remaining rubble, but Shepard managed to catch her hand in a weak grasp and pull her close instead.

"No kiss for your valiant hero?" Shepard choked out weakly.

Liara smiled sadly at the battered woman before her. As her gaze met Shepard's, she felt what little resolve she had left crumble as her eyes filled with tears.

She gently leaned in to Shepard, releasing her hand and taking care not to lean on her in any way. She lightly pressed her lips against her injured lover's before pulling away slightly.

Again, Shepard smiled at her like no other person had in all 108 years of her existence and she felt the warmth of it radiate her from the inside out.

"Come back to me," Shepard whispered.

Confusion swept over Liara at her words, but before she could ask what Shepard had meant, the warmth inside of her turned icy cold. Shepard's lips, precisely where Liara had kissed moments before, began to blacken and burn away, radiating out to the rest of her body. The smile that Liara had loved so dearly was quickly reduced to nothing but charred flesh. It took only seconds before Shepard's entire body was consumed.

All of the words Liara tried to say came out in strangled cries as they caught in her throat. She shakily reached for the only love she had ever known, but as her fingers grazed Shepard's cheek, it crumbled to ash beneath her touch with the rest of her lover's body following suit.

Horrified and broken, Liara fell to her knees, her mouth agape as she tried to erase what had just happened from her memory. She was so unaware of anything around her that she didn't notice anyone behind her until she felt a hand upon her shoulder.

Garrus stood solemn and clearly devastated, but still he tried to maintain a facade of calm for her sake.

"It's okay," he said, except it wasn't with his voice. "Come back to me."

Shepard's voice coming from Garrus' mouth was enough to jar her awake.

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><p>Liara woke with a start, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. In the darkness, she felt someone in bed beside her, their arm draped protectively around her waist while their lips kissed her forehead. As she took another breath, the smell of that someone made her chest ache.<p>

"It's okay," Shepard gently assured her. "I'm here. It was just a nightmare."

Liara ran her fingers up the arm that held her firmly in place until they reached Shepard's face and stopped, her fingertips lightly tracing her cheek.

"It felt so real," she whispered shakily, letting her hand linger on Shepard's face a moment before lowering it to her chest where she could feel the reassuring beat of Shepard's heart.

"I know," Shepard replied softly. "But you're here with me now."

Shepard was propped up on her right arm, but her free hand slid from Liara's waist and traveled the expanse of her silky, blue skin until she was cupping her face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Liara lowered her gaze to the hand on her cheek before meeting Shepard's eyes. The only light in the room came from the distant glow of the stars that sped past the window on the ceiling, but it was enough to faintly illuminate the smile she gave Shepard in response.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "Bad dreams can't hurt us anymore."

Shepard grinned before leaning in and kissing her firmly on the mouth. Liara wrapped her arms around the commander's neck and pulled her closer. Shepard moved on top of the asari, coaxing a moan from her lips as their bare skin pressed together. Her hands wandered the length of Liara's body as her mouth moved ever lower. Light kisses trailed her sculpted, blue jawline before sinking to her collarbone and then her breasts. Liara's hands buried themselves in tangles of Shepard's hair and the sheets of their bed.

Never ceasing her caresses, Shepard moved even lower, making eye contact with Liara just enough to drive her crazy. As she reached her lover's naval, she stopped and tilted her head up. She was met with an impatient whine from the beautiful, blue asari.

"Now, about those little blue babies..." Shepard said with a smirk.

Liara giggled in her adorably sexy way and pulled Shepard's face back up to meet hers. She kissed her briefly before pulling away and looking into her eyes. Smiles tugged at the corners of their mouths as they said everything they needed to without ever saying a word. Liara's eyes suddenly went black.

"Embrace eternity."

Thoughts of anything existing outside of that room were washed away as they lost themselves in one another. Liara's nightmare had been horrific, with just enough truth thrown in to sufficiently haunt her, but now that she was fully awake and in the arms of the person she loved, the memory of it faded in place of what had really happened.

But that's another story, for another time…


End file.
